Interested in Whites

First of all, I haven't ordered any tea in far too long. I think it's been 6 months. That needs to be remedied. I've always wanted to try a good white, I've just never got around to ordering it. The idea of it seems nice to me, something different from all the other styles. So, if anyone should like to suggest some whites to order ( and from where..) I would greatly appreciate it. I should like to try a few different types, so if anyone knows of any exquisite whites I simply must try, speak up! I leave my dilemma in your capable hands.

I just love Assam white satrupa estate. I've tried all the other ones, silver needle, white peony, snowbud...etc. And hands down that Assam white is my favorite. It never gets bitter, it's slightly floral and very fruity, very refreshing and, unlike the other whites, I never seem to get a caffeine buzz from it. Just pure relaxation.

Not all silver needles age well: I was shocked at the difference between one I received fresh, as part of a tasting, and one that I had been drinking for a while which sat in my cupboard for about a year, and had been who knows how long in the store before that. It was very bland.

debunix wrote:Not all silver needles age well: I was shocked at the difference between one I received fresh, as part of a tasting, and one that I had been drinking for a while which sat in my cupboard for about a year, and had been who knows how long in the store before that. It was very bland.

Good to know then, i'll have to keep that in mind. I would assume that it ages well under the right circumstances. Interesting stuff!

Should also add that I recently tasted a lovely silver needle & pai mu tan from The Cultured Cup. Their online presence is small, but apparently the store is much larger, and the quality of the teas I've had as part of tastings has been excellent.

I ordered a white sampler from Adagio. This is my first experience in white tea. Currently I'm trying the White Peony, which I brewed for 4 minutes using 190 degree water.

It's very pale. It smells good, but I can't taste much. I think I made a mistake with my sweetener. I used the same amount of sweetener I use in my black tea. It's not a huge amount, but it seems to have completely overwhelmed the white tea. All I can taste is the sweetener.

Is this normal with white tea, or am I brewing it wrong? I'll need to try this again without any sweetener.

PamEast wrote:I ordered a white sampler from Adagio. This is my first experience in white tea. Currently I'm trying the White Peony, which I brewed for 4 minutes using 190 degree water.

It's very pale. It smells good, but I can't taste much. I think I made a mistake with my sweetener. I used the same amount of sweetener I use in my black tea. It's not a huge amount, but it seems to have completely overwhelmed the white tea. All I can taste is the sweetener.

Is this normal with white tea, or am I brewing it wrong? I'll need to try this again without any sweetener.

And I'm happy to hear that you did! I think Hou De has some absolutely awesome teas, including their white teas. They once carried a fantastic Taiwanese white tea but once it was gone it was never replaced. They do regularly carry Silver Needles and although I'm not a huge fan of white tea overall, I really like this one and do regularly order it.

I know in the past Guang, the owner of Hou De, wrote about the precautions he takes when acquiring teas to sell, especially white teas. He said that because of the "hairs" on the leaf of white tea, special precautions should be taken to make sure that the tea is free of chemicals and pesticides. Apparently the "hairs" can retain or hold the chemicals if they're used for growing the tea. This is one reason I use Hou de for most of my Chinese teas and all of my Taiwanese teas; he is safety and quality concious and since I don't know that much about tea processing and growing, I rely on his integrity and judgment. So far I have no regrets paying a bit more for great tea that I feel safe drinking.